Zero Fears
by TrisPrior
Summary: What if you had no fears at all? What would happen when you tried to go through the fear landscape? Julia Long chose Dauntless, and she's perfect for her new faction... Too perfect. And the Erudite are watching... Rated T for swearing and some violence.
1. Chapter 1

It's the first day of the fear landscapes. I'm sort of nervous, but not at the same time. It's apparently a combination of the simulations, plus more, but the simulations didn't scare me that much. It was hard getting out of them, but only because of my heartbeat. And they aren't really what you're afraid of. Anyway, I'm only nervous because I have no idea what's coming.

I brush my fingers along a bold tattoo of the Amity tree on my wrist. Amity was never right for me. I hated the idea of hiding myself there. It was sad giving up my parents, I guess, but they had a sort of hands-off approach where it came to me and my sister. Never really there, always keeping things from us. I used to wonder if maybe I would be better for Candor, but my Aptitude test ruled that out along with Abnegation and Erudite. I should have guessed that I was meant for Dauntless. I mean, aren't they basically the opposite of the Amity? In stage one, we learned how to shoot a gun and how to throw a knife, not to mention the hand-to-hand combat. That couldn't possibly be considered "peaceful."

"Julia Long."

I jump at the sound of my name and walk towards the door. The needles were never a problem for me where the injections were concerned, and I let Max inject the back of my neck without flinching. Technically, he's a Dauntless leader, but he decided he wanted to help out with the simulations, to "see what the initiates were like," in his words. He intimidates the rest of the transfers, but not me. I just don't find him all that amazing. I mean, yes, he is a Dauntless leader, but he seems to ride on other people's fear. And that's not a Dauntless trait.

I sit there patiently and wait for the simulation to start. It takes a little longer than usual, but that's probably because it's a different type of simulation. I watch the second-hand of the clock. It usually takes about ten seconds for it to start, so this should take twenty, maybe.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Max stands up. He glares at me. "Well?"

I frown. "I... I don't know. I think... Why isn't it starting?"

His glare turns into a sarcastic smile. "Oh, I think you know."

I raise an eyebrow. "I do? Well, that would be a nice change."

He snorts. "You sound like the Dauntless would... but that doesn't mean anything. I knew it. This initiate class's times were much shorter than average. It was guaranteed, almost." He smiles again. "Care to share your aptitude test results?"

I shrug. "Sure. Dauntless."

"Really? So if I look that up now, leaving you in this room, I'll find that you aren't Divergent?"

"Di-whata-whata?"

* * *

**Max's POV**

Huh. Usually when I mention the word Divergent, they go pale, or tremble, or gulp. It doesn't take a Candor to figure it out. "Oh, you heard me. See..." I lean closer to her face. Fear is necessary here. It is what motivates the Dauntless. "To thwart the fear landscape, you have to be Divergent, or fearless." I grin. It makes me feel powerful, for a reason I can't explain. Maybe knowing that I _am_ powerful. "And _no one_ is fearless. The lowest number ever, was..." The man who refuses the power I can give him. The first-ranked initiate who would rather take the labor of the control room, one of the worst jobs, than controlling all of Dauntless. It must be the Abnegation; I am one of the few who know his secret. He is the one Dauntless I can't read. "Was four," I say, snapping back to the Divergent in front of me. "Which means that you, girlie, are Divergent."

Eric hates him. Because, in a way, even though he's a spy, one that I appointed, he still cares about his life as a Dauntless. He reminds me of myself, though I'll never admit it, and that's why I hate him so much. But not enough to send him back to Erudite. He's a good spy, and he reenforces the rules of the New Dauntless better than anyone. New Dauntless- the Dauntless who can and will fight, whether they want to or not. The Dauntless who can and will fire a gun. The Dauntless we are training.

* * *

**Julia's POV**

"How do you know I'm not fearless? And what the fuck is Divergent?" I say. "Some kind of disease?"

He laughs. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Uhhh... well, are you going to tell me or am I going to stand here like an asshole?" I ask.

He sighs. "Great, a Divergent rebel with a dirty mouth. Just what I wanted. Fine, if you're going to play dumb, I might as well 'tell' you. Why not?"

There's a pause. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Ti- "Well?" I say.

"Sure," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Someone who can belong in two factions. Bet _that's_ new news, huh?"

"Actually, yeah," I say. "So why don't you go check my aptitude test results?"

"Fine," he shoots back. "Maybe I will."

* * *

"Idiot," he says, walking back into the room. "You little—"

I cut him off with a punch to the throat. He doesn't hesitate, but twists towards me, his hand colliding with the base of my ribs. I let out a scream. Maybe someone will hear. I can handle this on my own, but that doesn't mean I have to.**  
**

"Coward," he snarls, kicking my ankles so that my feet slide out from under me. He kicks again, this time at my face. I feel a burst of pain, and then something trickling down my chin. Blood.

"No one's coming," he laughs, kicking me again so that the trickling turns into a waterfall. "They'll assume you're in your landscape. Coward."

I see black spots. He kicks again and again. "Divergent," he says with contempt. I can barely make out what he's saying past the roaring in my ears. "You can get one result. You can try to hide it, but I'll _always_ find out." I black out to the words, "Take her to the chasm. We'll get rid of her."


	2. Chapter 2

**Max's POV**

I dump the girl's limp body into the chasm. "One down," I say.

Eric smiles. "One down," he repeats. "And who knows how many to go."

"Are we almost done?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says. "We need at least three years' worth of New Dauntless. And we're close, and we've caught most of those cowards," he says with a grin.

"Divergent rebels," I correct. "We'd better get this back to Jeanine. And the Old Dauntless. Suicide, as usual."

He nods. "I'll hold the funeral?"

"Yeah," I say. "An hour's good. Lots of drinks, remember. And I'll contact headquarters."

"Sounds good," he says, running off. Good. I don't want him knowing that it's possible to climb into the chasm if he doesn't already. He probably does— he knows most things where the Dauntless are concerned— but there's no reason not to be careful.

I climb down the path into the chasm. The rapids push at my feet, but I make my way towards the body so I can make it look like she jumped. The Old Dauntless are more skeptical, even drunk, which they will be at the funeral in an hour. If they guess that it isn't suicide, they won't be far from the truth. And we're too close to have anything happen. I know that the Stiffs are talking about releasing the information. And then opening the gates. That can't happen. The faction system is the closest we've gotten to perfection.

Once I'm at the bottom of the chasm, I hook her black shirt over a jutting-out rock on the chasm wall so that the body's still, then bend her knees. I hear a crack. Her right knee is broken.

"Shit," I say. I can't bend it this way. I bend her other knee in a jumping position. For a minute, it looks like she twitches. But she's dead. I must have imagined it. "Dead," I mutter, and head back up the chasm walls. Now to contact Jeanine.

* * *

**Julia's POV**

Owwwwwwwwww. That's the only thought that goes through my head. The chasm is just deep enough that if you jump, you die. But I didn't jump. Max dropped me over. To kill me, he'd have to push me down instead of just dropping me. I didn't get enough momentum, so I'm alive. Barely.

I hop into the tattoo store on my crutches. A dark-haired woman notices me. "Holy shit. Uh, I mean... I'm Tori. How can I help you?"

I remember how my friend Lena got a tattoo of a hand after what she would only say was a "traumatizing event." This counts, I think. "I'd like a tattoo of a river," I say. "On the back of my neck."

Something flashes past Tori's face as she leads me into the back room. "Lie down," she says, pointing to a counter. I climb up.

"Look. A girl comes into a tattoo parlor with a broken leg, arm, and neck, and asks for a tattoo of a river? There's something going on here. And I think I know what," she says. "Are you..." She looks around. "Divergent?"

I snort, exasperated. "_No._ And if you're working for Max and Jeanine, you can forget it."

She blinks. "Max too? I guess I should have known. But then... how did you get dropped into the chasm?"

"How did you know?" I ask.

"Like I said. Broken girl, wants a tattoo of a river."

"Well, he thought I was. Max, I mean. Because apparently I'm fearless. The fear landscape didn't work."

"Oh," she says. "So that's why they've postponed initiation day. But... Fearless? Are you sure?"

"Positive," I say. "And I'm not Divergent, or whatever."

She sighs. "Be careful, Fearless." I feel the needle go into my neck.

* * *

**Max's POV**

"Julia Long was brave!" Eric yells. "Brave enough to jump, to know the consequences! And she is braver than us for that! She was nearly a member, and she took the braver path!"

I finish Eric's speech. "To Julia!" I yell, and the crowd of Dauntless— New and Old— yells it back. "Julia! Julia! Julia!" I hear. I hear a cough behind me. I turn around and nearly fall over. Julia, the girl who I _tossed into the chasm,_ is standing behind me.**  
**

"Hey!" she yells. The Dauntless turn towards her. A lot of them start laughing. They're way more drunk than I thought. Nice job, Eric. I seriously doubt that they'll remember this by tomorrow.

"I'm not dead! I didn't jump! I was tossed!" she yells. A couple of people are still chanting,_ Juli-a! Juli-a! _The crowd of Dauntless cheer, then slowly start to leave, bringing their drinks. I'm about to confront her, to fight her again, maybe turn her in to Jeanine, when I realize she's gone.

How could I let this slip? I sprint back to the Pit, but the crowd there is even thicker than usual from the "funeral." I can't find Julia anywhere. I turn back to Eric, panting.

"Tomorrow," I say.

"Tomorrow," he repeats.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, I know, I'm terrible for not updating! I'm giving permission to review-rant at me... Yes, I want reviews that bad...**

**Also, in case you haven't noticed, I'm the world's worst procrastinator. I do all my homework the morning it's due. (I've done an essay in fifteen minutes— can you say, ****_rushed_****?) But I'll really try to update this! It's my favorite story I've written and I'm not abandoning it.**

**Anyway, I don't own Divergent, and here's the next chapter! Finally!**

**R&R?  
**

* * *

**Julia POV**

The next day I wake up in pain with my neck twisted off to the side. I touch the side of my neck, and almost fall out of the bed in pain when I feel how deep the cut is. He tried to kill me. _Again. _I don't know why I didn't wake up. Maybe he sedated me?

I know there's no time to get to the hospital. Today is initiation day. With my fear landscape score of 00:00... Something tells me I've made it into Dauntless.

I grab a bandage from the bathroom and clean the cut before tightly wrapping it around my neck. Hmmm... I could easily be choked that way, but I'd rather choke than slowly bleed to death.

Everyone seems too excited to be becoming Dauntless to notice my bandages. That, or they just lost track of where I had bandages. I'm wearing more bandages than clothing, after all. And I already had bandages on my neck.

I look at my name on the chalkboard five minutes later. First. It would be a good thing, but it makes me even more of a target than I already am. Someone claps me on the shoulder, and I wince in pain. When did I hurt my shoulder? Yesterday, or last night? I almost laugh. I don't know where half of my pain even came from. Oh well.

I watch as Max and Eric go around with a cart of needles, injecting everyone in the room. Injecting all of Dauntless. This can't be good. What are they injecting them with?

Max taps my shoulder and grins when I wince. "Trackers," he says, holding up a needle and answering my question without knowing it. "So you don't get lost. The Erudite just developed them."

I narrow my eyes at him and raise my hair and bandages away from my neck. Max touches the needle to the spot where my tattoo is, then takes the needle away without injecting it. I can see him holding in a gasp. So he has his weak points. Good to know.

I smile and slip away into the crowd. I'm glad I wasn't injected. It can't really be a tracker, can it? Max isn't exactly known for his truth-telling abilities. There's a reason he isn't Candor.

But then what is it? Injecting something into the back of the neck of every Dauntless member...

Injected into the back of their necks._ A simulation_.

Why, though? To see how brave we all really are? Maybe not a fear simulation. But what else is there? Are we all taking the aptitude test again? But it uses wires. And they would tell us, give us a fake reason for why.

My friend Noah holds up a hand for a high-five. I slap it. "Nice, Julia," he says. "I'm second! And you're first! We're gonna rock this place!" He cheers. "We're Dauntless!"

I laugh quickly. "Hey, Noah, did you get injected with a tracker?"

He nods. "Yeah, course. Why?"

I shrug. Ow. Bad idea. "No reason."

Noah throws his arm around me in a way so that he doesn't hurt my shoulder. "Hey, Julia, wanna take a walk?"

I take a deep breath. "Yeah. Sure. Sorry, I'm just kind of out of it today."

He gives me a sympathetic look. "Yeah, I can imagine," he says. "C'mon. Let's go, get all the stress out."

We walk out into one of the less used hallways. I've never been down this one before. "Noah, are you sure you know where you're going?"

He smiles. "Positive."

We walk up the path— or he walks, I... crutch? Hop? Anyway— I look up the path. "Noah, it's a dead end."

He shakes his head. "No. It's not." He pauses. "Well, maybe, yeah, but it's a _nice_ dead end."

I laugh. "All right."

We turn the corner of the path, and I see what he means. We've been slowly climbing above the Dauntless compound, and we're at a high ledge overlooking the Pit, lit with its blue lights.

"I love it up here," Noah says. "They should seriously build a railing, though."

I shake my head. In a way, he's right. But, still. "No," I say. "It would kill the point. We're Dauntless now. Railings are so... Amity." I grimace at the name of my old faction. "Plus, it's sort of natural. A railing would make it less special."

He laughs. "Well, okay," he says. There's a pause. "Julia?" he says.

"Yeah?"

Noah leans in and kisses me.

_Kisses me._

For about twenty seconds, I forget about Max and Eric and Jeanine, forget about my multiple broken bones, forget about the simulation, and just lose myself in Noah's kiss.

And then we pull apart and I remember again. I squeeze his hand. "We'd better go back down."

He looks at his hands and fidgets. "Oh. I mean, I... sorry."

I sigh. "I don't want it to be over either, but it's a long path, and it takes about a half an hour to go one way with me and my crutches, so we have to if we want to become Dauntless."

"Oh."

I laugh, then lean in and kiss him. We stay for longer now, holding each other, then finally we break apart and we walk— he walks, I hobble? Jump? Whatever— back down the path and into the Pit.

* * *

**Noah's POV**

Later, I walk out of the Pit. I guess I've loved Julia for a while now, but she never understood. Or maybe she did, and thought it was the other way around. I stop at the corner. Eric and Max, two of the Dauntless leaders, are arguing, and I don't want to get involved.

"— thought we were waiting a year!" Eric says. "Why this year?"

"The Stiff leaders are about to let out the data a year early," Max says. "But if we do tonight, they won't understand the warning. We're waiting until tomorrow, got it?"

Stiffs? What data are they letting out? What warning? And what's happening tomorrow? I've never hated the Stiffs like the rest of my old faction, Erudite. But what are they doing?

Eric snorts. "You said that yesterday," he says with the air of a toddler. "When are we actually putting the plan into action?"

"Tomorrow," Max says.

Eric doesn't reply. I turn back to wait for Julia. I shouldn't have left without her in the first place.

**So, do you like Noah? Did I bring him in too quickly? You should tell me, in a review! (Hint hint wink wink nudge nudge) I'm not so subtle. Whatever. Just review it!**

**This is a little longer than my other chapters, it's about 400 words longer than chapter 2 and about 100 longer than chapter 1. Does that make up for my terrible non- updating phase? No? Aw, fine.**

**I'll try and get the next chapter up faster! I promise! In the meantime, reviews really motivate me!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, I'm updating this again! Hope you like it, it starts the morning after.**

**Disclaimer: If I were Veronica Roth, I'd be out there working on book 3.**

* * *

**Julia POV**

The next morning I wake up sore. I don't think I have any new injuries, the old ones just hurt. I look around me. The other brand new members are all still asleep. I pull on a black dress, buckling a red belt around my waist. The belt is the only thing I have left from Amity.

I walk to the other side of the room. Yes, walk. The doctors are good, but they aren't Amity or Erudite. I found out yesterday night that, although I twisted it badly in a way so that it couldn't move or bend, my leg isn't broken. My arm is, though, and my neck is still bruised. I'm allowed to walk, but not to run until my leg fully heals.

I walk out into the hallway. I need a walk, get some fresh air... Well, as fresh as the air can get in an underground cave. The blue-lit paths slope downwards, and before I realize where I'm going I'm at the net. I turn my face upwards, looking up at the city I have never really lived in. The Dauntless are below the city, the Amity outside the fence. The two factions hate each other, but in some ways they're more alike than any of the other three. The Amity could live on our— on _their_ own, I realize. Growing crops, staying safe, peaceful, and unattached.

But maybe I don't want to be peaceful and unattached. Maybe safety is overrated. Maybe I want freedom, to not be held back. If I wanted to run down the paths screaming, I could do it. If I have a problem with another member, I could argue with them. If I wanted to jump off a building, I could, and I wouldn't be alone. I never realized how carefully restrained the Amity were, until I left them.

"Julia?"

I whip around. Maddy, one of my first friends at Dauntless, is standing behind me. She transferred from Candor and kicked ass in innitiation. She flips her shoulder length brown hair to the side impatiently. "What are you doing here?"

I shrug. "I wanted to take a walk. You know, now that I can."

Maddy gives me a sympathetic look. If I didn't know better, I'd think she underestimates me because of my injury. She doesn't.

"Good idea. Actually, I wanted to have a talk. Girl to girl."

"Sure," I say. I'll talk if she wants, but I know what I'm getting myself into. Maddy can talk for hours. We used to play a game in Amity about talking about something for a full minute without pausing or saying um or uh. Maddy would beat everyone.

Maddy blushes. "Uh, well, I think I like Noah."

"Really?" Oh, great. I don't know what to tell her. "Uh, Maddy. I... uh..."

Maddy's cheeks darken. "I know. I, uh, I saw you guys walking back last night."

"Oh."

There's an awkward silence. Then Maddy and I both start talking at once.

"Sorry. I mean, you can have him, I just thought you should kn—" Maddy starts.

"Oh god, this is awkward. I don't really—" Both of us stop abruptly.

"Look, this shouldn't ruin our friendship. I think Jake and Izzy are on their way to the cafeteria. We should meet up with them."

I take a deep breath. "Yeah. Sure."

Honestly, if it were anyone else, I wouldn't really care. But Maddy always talks about the many ways she's fought for boys in Candor, and honestly, Noah sounds exactly like the kind of person who would fall for that kind of thing. Not that Maddy would try to steal him from me. I mean, she wouldn't do that, right?

Oh, great. I don't want my life filled with boy drama. I've always put my friends before my few crushes, and I want to stay that way. Is this what I signed up for when I chose Dauntless?

I pull a muffin off of the rack next to the eggs and other hot foods.

"Hey, Julia!" Jake calls from the table. I slide my tray down down between him and Maddy.

"Is Noah coming?" Izzy says. She sounds annoyed. She doesn't know.

"He's sleeping in," Maddy says. How does she know? Jealousy flares up in me, but I shove it down. This is _Maddy_. Since when did my life revolve around boys again, anyway? I take a bite out of my muffin and look over at her. She meets my eyes and looks down guiltily. I silently groan and put my arm around her. "I'm gonna jump off the train after breakfast. Wanna come?"

Maddy's face lights up. "Sure. Who's with us?"

Izzy looks a little green, but Jake nods. "I'll come. Sounds good."

"Izzy?" Maddy says, clearly in a good mood.

"Uh... That's okay. I think I'll just... stay here."

Jake groans. "Come on, Iz. Don't be a sissy."

"Hey! I'm not a sissy!" She says, hitting his arm lightly.

"Oh come on, you're a total sissy..."

I lean back in my chair, tuning out their bickering. And that's when I see the metal flash out of the corner of my eye.

* * *

**Cliffie! Don't kill me! And I'll update soonish... I know, I suck. So go ahead, get out your butter knives. And if you want a chapter sooner than then, REVIEW! SERIOUSLY!**

**0-2 reviews: I'll try to update in February.  
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**3-5 reviews: I'll get the next chapter up by mid January.  
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**6-8 reviews: I'll get it up by New Year's.  
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**8+ reviews: I'll go in super writing mode and shoot for Monday!  
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**Come on guys! I know you can do it! Oh, and they have to be real reviews, not just "update this soon" or "review" or something like that!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well, it's mid January, and I'm updating as promised...  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.**

_Previously on Zero Fears (Haha— TV show much?): I lean back in my chair, tuning out their bickering. And that's when I see the metal flash out of the corner of my eye._

**Julia POV**

I duck, and the knife sails over my head, clipping my ear, and buries itself in the wall. I whip around, looking for the thrower (and doing my best to ignore the pain in my ear), but neither Max or Eric are anywhere in sight. The table next to ours is almost empty, except for a young woman with short blond hair with a blue armband. Jeanine, maybe?

"Oh my god! Julia are you okay?" Izzy shrieks.

I touch my hand to my ear, and it comes away red. "Yeah," I say, pulling out a roll of bandages. Yep, I carry them with me 24/7 now. Is that too paranoid?

The three of them crowd around me, asking questions, helping me with the bandages.

"Are you alright?" Jake asks, unrolling the roll of bandages for me. I could have done that.

"Who threw the knife?" Maddy asks, whipping around. I don't feel like answering, and I'm really not sure anyway.

"What just happened? Oh my god!" Izzy, again.

"Come on," I say. "Let's just get out of here. If we hurry we'll make the train." They look at me cautiously, then share a look. They're worried about me. "Come on," I say again. "I'll be fine."

* * *

We get to the train a few minutes later, and I quickly jump on, panting. Jake and Maddy follow.

"New?"

I turn around. A dark skinned boy with green, spiked hair and a pierced lip is standing behind us, ignoring the pole.

"Yeah. I transferred from Candor, Jake's from Erudite, and Julia's from Amity," Maddy says.

The boy looks surprised that an Amity chose to come to Dauntless, but he makes a pretty good attempt to hide it. He leans against the wall. "Huh. I'm Kyle. Dauntless-born."

"Nice to meet you," I say. Jack nods.

"Likewise," Kyle says. "Initiation was brutal, huh? I only knew about stage one and that no one could prepare for stage two. The pansycakes never told me about the rest."

"Pansycakes?" Maddy says, looking interested.

"Yeah. Dauntless slang."

Maddy shoots me a look that I take to mean as,_ Did you know about this?_ I shrug.

"We're here," Kyle says. "Get ready to jump."

I stand up and get ready, facing the wind blowing through the open doors.

"One, two, three!" I shout, hurling myself out and onto the ground. My knees sting. I look around and see the other three sprawled along the ground, except for Kyle, who seems to have landed on his feet. Of course, he's probably been doing this his whole life, but I still feel jealous.

I wish I was raised Dauntless. I hated Amity. Always having to be cheerful, but never being allowed to have anything that could possibly be considered as conflict. No friendly banter, no teasing each other playfully, nothing. It's no wonder the Candor hate us. Them. Not us anymore, I have to remind myself.

"You guys okay?" Kyle says, biting his lip to hold back a laugh. To him, we probably seem like the pansycakes he was talking about earlier. I make a mental note to look the word up in the library. Now that I'm a member of a faction, I can go wherever I want. The thought cheers me up.

"Yeah," Maddy says, dusting off her black jeans.

"Check," I say.

"Yep," Jake says. "That was fun. Let's get back to the compound, though."

I sigh. "Alright."

I turn around. Recognize the person standing about fifty feet away.

"Noah?" I say.

He turns around. "Julia!"

I smile. "Hey."

"No, Julia! Behind you!"

**A/N: MWAHAHAHA CLIFFIE! I always end with them. Bad habit that I should really stop. I feel like this is just a filler chapter, although it wasn't supposed to be, but a lot will happen in the next chapter— including a non-cliffie ending. And in the meantime, REVIEW! Seriously, five seconds out of your looooong day, you could just write me a quick review that will probably make me put up the next chapter a few days earlier than I would have... hint... hint...**

**And SORRY FOR THE SHORTNESS!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: GUYYYS. Since I put up chapter 5, there have been tons of views. Guess how many reviews? NONE. 0. Zip. Blame yourselves for the late update.  
**

**Ugh. I'll just give you your chapter and rant at you later.**

**Disclaimer: You get the point by now, I'm not VR, I don't own Divergent, etc.**

* * *

**JULIA POV**

I look around me, and, realizing that I'm standing ON THE TRAIN TRACKS, try to jump off before that TRAIN coming towards me hits me. I'm too late, though, and while I manage to throw most of myself off of the tracks, my arm gets bent behind me and the train runs it over. The already hurt one, I mean. **(A/N: Julia has really _great_ luck, doesn't she? You're welcome.)**

"OW OW OW OW OW OW OW SHIT OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW SHIT OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW SHIT OW OW!" I scream. Yep. Super eloquent. If you've never had your arm run over by a train, you have no idea how much it hurts. Noah runs forward and tries to pull my arm out, but I'm to busy screaming to care, and the train is passing anyway. OWWWWWWW.

Kyle and Noah pry my arm out from under the train, and I vaguely notice Maddy whispering something to Jake, who nods. The two boys help me walk back to the hospital (even though my arm doesn't affect how I walk), and the other two follow behind us. The nurse injects something into my good arm, and I pass out.

* * *

I wake up an hour or so later, with my arm in a cast, but still killing me. "You're free to go," the nurse says. I've noticed that injuries are common for the Dauntless and don't interrupt daily life. It's so different from Amity.

I walk outside the door to find Noah, who hands me a bouquet of lilies. "Sorry I couldn't come in," he says. "The nurse wouldn't let me."

"You saved my life," I say. Sort of, at least.

Noah shrugs. "Can we go up to our place?"

I nod and lead the way. I know the paths much better after a few days of living here, and although I've only been up and down these paths once, they feel sort of familiar.

I reach the top of the path and sit down, dangling my legs over the edge. Noah joins me.

I look out over the lights of the Pit, the busy Dauntless life, complete with shops and the laughing daredevils of my new faction. I know I made the right choice, no matter how many injuries I've gotten. I could never really be Amity. I think I always knew that.

"Julia?" Noah says, scratching his ear and looking nervous.

"Yeah?" I say.

"Um... well, I think... I think I love you. I've loved you since I first met you."

He looks at me hopefully, and I meet his eyes.

"I love you too," I say, and meet his lips with mine. It's true, what he said. I think I've always loved him in a way, even at the beginning of initiation.

We sit there for at least an hour. We don't kiss the whole time, of course (we have _personalities_, you know), mostly just look out over the Pit, and talking quietly.

"Julia?" Noah says after some time.

"Yeah?"

"I just thought you should know. I'm what they call... Divergent. It means I have aptitude for two factions." He shifts nervously. I can see why. Divergence can get you killed.

"They thought I was Divergent," I say. "That's why I've had so many injuries. Come to think of it, I wonder who was driving that train."

Noah smiles and swings his legs against the rock wall below us.

As the lights grow brighter for the night, he takes my hand and leads me back down the path and into the initiate's room we all still live in. With a last squeeze of my hand, he goes over to his own bed.

I'm just falling asleep when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I roll over and see... Jake?

"Hey, Jake," I whisper. "What's up?"

"Um..." He bites his lip. "Uh, I thought you should know... Maddy and I think that... Maybe we shouldn't hang out as much. You know, 'cause you're getting hurt so much."

"Oh." I can't really think of anything to say. I just lost two of my closest friends. "Um, I, oh."

"Uh, yeah," he says awkwardly. "Anyway, night Julia."

I manage to fall back asleep quickly, prepared to sleep late and get some rest.

Unfortunately, though, that doesn't happen. I wake up in the middle of the night to footsteps, the closet door creaking open. My clock says exactly 12:00 AM. Everyone is lined up behind the closet except for me and Noah, waiting to get dressed. I think back to the initiation ceremony.

_Max taps my shoulder and grins when I wince. "Trackers," he says, holding up a needle and answering my question without knowing it. "So you don't get lost. The Erudite just developed them."_

Erudite. Like Jeanine Matthews, who threw a knife at me.

_[W]hat is it? Injecting something into the back of the neck of every Dauntless member..._

_Injected into the back of their necks. A_ simulation.

I spin Izzy around from her place in the back of the line. Her eyes are blank, empty. Just like someone in a simulation.

I shake Noah awake, and explain quickly. He looks panicked, but joins me in the back of the line. The first in the line, Clare, grabs a gun and a holster from a table by the door. And then I realize what they're here to do.

Time to fight.

* * *

**A/N: I haven't really been keeping up the plot, but this is bringing this story together. It's gonna be short. I'm posting one more chapter, then an epilogue, then another version of both of those. BUT I'm not updating unless I get reviews! ****I want TEN reviews for this chapter before I update. TEN. To make up for the fact that NO ONE reviewed for last chapter.  
**


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